I just read it for the 4th and still can't get enough of it! Some thoughts:
The vision of what the Hulk would become without restraints is very bizarre and scary: I only paid attention to what he did with Cage when I read it the second time. Brutal!
With this possible transformation and what we've seen in this issue; all the metamorphosis, how the system (even if broken) can interact and act, everything is unpredictable and dangerous.Oh, and the Green Scar transformation was fantastic. As said before, Hulk is probably the most powerful metamorph on the planet.
But something is very, very wrong!
About the Leader, what a great job Ewing and Joe have done: He always was bizarre, but now He's even worse. The thought that one of the most intelligent beings on earth has control of the Green Door itself is horrifying. Imagine the things He can do with it! I believe the next issue is gonna be an incredible journey through his life, and I'm sure a pivotal point to his knowledge of the green door comes from the Jenkins' run; probably the strangest thing that happened to the Leader when he tried to ascend into a higher being (to horrible results)!
Oh, and don't forget that, in the original pitch, Ewing's story was about the Leader. The OBA plot came later when, according to Ewing himself, Brevoort told him to go bigger! So, it may give an idea on how important Sterns can be to the book!
Oh crap. When Savage was pulling the Chains for Devil, Scar touched his head and interfered. The Leader's Mind was always stronger than Hulk's.
Some other interesting details..
Rick is wearing a shirt for the first time in a while.. usually we see him shirtless, right? Guess what color scheme he's wearing?
And what's Rick's power? He generates gamma.. which is not like anything he's done before.. unlike Betty's transformation. Soooo.. who's in charge of the Green Door the source of all things gamma? Which makes sense.
Finally... #25 ends with the Leader singing Mr. Rogers.. Xemnu is focusing his control through a children's tv show..
So much Cronenberg here! The "Brundlefly-Pod" thing!
I just realized that the quotation in the beginning is talking about Green Scar and Devil Hulk. And yeah, it's painfully obvious from Joe Fixit's expression that something is seriously wrong in the "land of the hulks", so to speak.
"Mutationem Aeternum"
Krakoan and Proud
I feel like the Devil and Joe were perhaps locked away by different sources; one Xemnu, one Leader. Hence the difference in containment.
One interesting thing: in issue #25, Banner asks if "Joe is there", and that He thinks something killed the Hulk.
Joe, instead of chained is kind of 'preserved" in amber instead. Maybe this protects him of being killed by TOBA?
That future Hulk...isn't that the same one from Space Punisher that took over the galaxy?
Awesome review:
Beyond the Panel (9.5/10)
https://beyondthepanel.net/2020/03/2...ortal-hulk-33/
Comics the Gathering (10/10)
https://www.comicsthegathering.com/r...hulk-33-review
And a nice article:
Horror Unlimited: 5 Marvel Horror Comics You Should Binge-Read Through Marvel Unlimited
Immortal Hulk (Current)
For decades, The Hulk has often run into a similar problem as Superman when it comes to ongoing series: how do you make someone nigh-invincible interesting? Writers have found creative ways to play around with the green goliath, whether it’s introducing a slew of other gamma radiated foes, messing around with dissociative identity disorder and his ID, or putting the smarts of Bruce Banner into the body of the Hulk. We’ve seen some truly inventive ways to make him more than just a big bruiser (although that’s fun too sometimes).
No one, though, has ever thought to turn The Hulk’s constant mental battle with himself into a strange Cronenbergian nightmare full of body horror and apocryphal references to archangels and hell. Until now. Al Ewing’s Immortal Hulk is truly one of the best comics on the shelves right now, and by the end of this, could be one of the best runs we’ve ever seen. Playing around with throwback ideas that date back to the silver age, like the Hulk only coming out at night, Ewing has done a deep dive into the lore of the Hulk, his origins, and the strange intertwining of magic and science within gamma rays.
What starts as a superhero-fueled retelling of Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde quickly takes a turn into some of the goopiest, gut churning, gonzo body-melting horror I’ve ever seen in any medium. Somehow, against all odds, Ewing is able to craft a mesmerizing story around Banner and the Hulk, as well as his supporting characters, and he throws in a curveball almost every issue that keeps you hooked. All the while, it still feels very much like a superhero comic. It’s absolutely must-read material.
https://bloody-disgusting.com/comics...vel-unlimited/
Great issue. And to think I was initially very skeptical about Ewing’s ability to pull this off. Loved seeing Agger get what was coming to him finally. The status of the Hulk landscape is the most interesting part but also the one I’m not sure of. Is the Leader controlling Green Scar, or is the Leader simply manifesting himself on Hulk’s mental plane as Green Scar? Green Scar clearly manifests at the end to kill Xemnu so he does actually exist. Or maybe Green Scar just doesn’t like Devil Hulk and doesn’t want him freed? That whole bit is clearly set up. Leader is working his way into taking control of Hulk. Were Fixit and Devil both imprisoned by Xemnu or was Leader responsible for imprisoning them?
Edit: I reread the issue and I think I get it now. Xemnu locked up Devil while Leader imprisoned Fixit in amber.
Overall though this issue finally cemented Leader as the Endgame foe along with the OBA. Leader seems to be the one who will end up seizing control over the Hulk system and bringing on that apocalyptic future we saw in issue 25.
Last edited by Vordan; 03-25-2020 at 03:19 PM.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ what the heck kind of fight took place in this issue???!?! Yeesh...